Black Homeowner Shot By South Carolina Deputy After Reporting Home Invasion

A Black homeowner in Hollywood, South Carolina was shot in the neck Thursday by a White sheriff’s deputy responding to a 911 call about a home invasion, according to Fox News.

The unidentified homeowner, who was armed, was either leaving or standing at the back door of his mobile home when deputies from the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office arrived at his doorstep, the news outlet says.

One of the two deputies shot the victim after he allegedly refused to drop the weapon, Sheriff’s Maj. Eric Watson said in a news release. Two other men fled the scene on bicycles.

It is the second high-profile shooting of a Black man by law enforcement in Charleston County, South Carolina in recent months. On April 4, Michael Slager, a White former Charleston Police Officer, was caught on video shooting Walter Scott, an unarmed Black man, in the back as he ran away after a traffic stop. Scott died with eight gunshot wounds to the back, kindling outrage and inflaming the national debate about police violence against Blacks.

Law enforcement authorities worked swiftly Thursday to tamp down protests over the Hollywood shooting and release information.

Watson said the names of the deputy and the shooting victim would be released Friday, as would copies of a dashboard camera video. He said the deputies were not equipped with body cameras.

The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the shooting and the sheriff’s office will investigate the home invasion, Watson said.

Police released two 911 tapes of the encounter Thursday. On one, an exasperated male caller tells police, “Someone was trying to break into my house. Please come. … It’s an emergency and they have guns. Please come!”

The victim told police that he exchanged gunfire with the two men who fled on bicycles. Later, police announced the arrests of one of the men, Thomas Zachary Brown, 22. He was charged with first-degree burglary and attempted murder in connection with the home invasion, the report says.

The homeowner was hospitalized and underwent surgery. His condition is unknown at this time.